Ye Qingqiu subconsciously took two steps back.
She bumped into Li Tingshen.
Li Tingshen reached out to hold her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
A few people walked past them.
Ye Qingqiu’s eyes relaxed slightly and she got up to leave Li Tingshen’s embrace.
Li Tingshen didn’t let go of her.
He said softly, “Qingqiu, let’s bring Linlin to treat his eyes.”
“No need,” Ye Qingqiu rejected flatly. “Bo Jinchuan has already arranged it. I’ll leave with Linlin tomorrow.”
Li Tingshen pondered for a while. “Yes, there won’t be a problem with the people Brother Bo arranged.”
Standing behind her, he couldn’t see her expression, but he could see Linlin’s face.
He looked at the young face greedily, and his eyes were similar to his.
Perhaps Linlin sensed that Li Tingshen was looking at him, or perhaps it was because he was curious about this man. Although his eyes couldn’t see, he still “looked” at Li Tingshen based on his instincts. His eyes were filled with wariness and probing.
His vigilant gaze made Li Tingshen smile slightly.
Linlin’s eyes narrowed and her displeasure was obvious. Then, she buried her face in Ye Qingqiu’s neck.
Ye Qingqiu turned to look at Li Tingshen, whose gaze had already landed on her face.
She frowned as a muffled shout sounded from nearby.
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t do anything. What evidence do you have?”
The voice was familiar. She turned to look. The bodyguards at the door were familiar.
“Let go of me!”
As Liang Xuer’s voice became sharper and clearer, she was dragged out by a few people.
Her face was still pale and she was wearing a hospital gown. She didn’t have much strength, but she still struggled, making her look pathetic.
Perhaps it was because her gaze landed on them, but she suddenly straightened her body. She had struggled and refused to leave just now, but now, she was struggling to pounce in their direction.
Li Tingshen pulled Ye Qingqiu closer. “Let’s go in first.”
“Li Tingshen!”
Liang Xuer suddenly stopped him and ran to him.
“Did you ask these people to come?”
Li Tingshen remained silent.
Liang Xuer smiled sarcastically. Her lips trembled and her eyes turned red.
“You won’t even give me the last bit of dignity? How much do you want to destroy the you in my heart?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. I just like you. Do you have to be so cruel to me?”
“I can tolerate you lying to me for three years. I can even save Grandpa if you want me to… Nearly half of the blood in my body… You got someone to arrest me on the second day of the surgery?!”
She thought that the truth she had learned yesterday was enough to make her despair. She didn’t expect there to be an even deeper abyss today.
Ha.
Why was it so easy to be hurt, despair, and collapse?
So this was how Ye Qingqiu had suffered back then?
That was indeed tragic.
Her gaze slowly shifted to Ye Qingqiu and the child in her arms.
She was stunned. “…Ye Qingqiu, who are you carrying?”
Liang Xuer’s expression was filled with death and madness.
Ye Qingqiu hugged Linlin tightly and took two steps back.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m asking who he is?!”
Liang Xuer suddenly screamed, her entire body trembling. Even the expression on her face was hideous.
Linlin, who was hiding in Ye Qingqiu’s embrace, frowned. He grabbed her collar and turned to look at Liang Xuer.
“You’re not allowed… to bully Mommy!”
Seeing that face, Liang Xuer’s eyes widened in shock and she took two steps back.
Linlin couldn’t see Liang Xuer’s expression. He wanted to support his mother, but he was helpless. He frowned, his face full of anger.
It overlapped with Li Tingshen’s anger.
Liang Xuer shook her head. “No… That’s impossible… How could you give birth to his child in prison…”
Linlin’s dark eyes “looked” in Liang Xuer’s direction. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly turned his head. He raised his hand and fumbled around before grabbing Li Tingshen’s sleeve.
“Daddy, hug—”
Li Tingshen’s chest shook violently and his eyes trembled.
“What… did you call me?”
Linlin frowned and pursed his lips before saying, “Daddy, carry—”
Ye Qingqiu was also stunned for a long time. Linlin, who was in her arms, squirmed and wanted Li Tingshen to hug her.
Li Tingshen lowered his head to look at Ye Qingqiu. Seeing no reaction from her, he raised his hand and pulled Linlin from her arms.
The way Li Tingshen carried the child looked skilled and natural.
Liang Xuer’s mind went blank and her ears buzzed. If not for the support from both sides, she would have collapsed to the ground.
Children…
They had a child three years ago!
Then what was she?
Three years…
Everything she had imagined with him had long been snatched away by Ye Qingqiu.
Was there any joke more ridiculous than her now?
Three years ago, she couldn’t win against Ye Qingqiu.
Three years later, she had tried her best but still lost terribly.
She was laughing and crying. She shook her head, unwilling to believe the truth.
Yet, it was a fact.
“Ah—”
She suddenly screamed, and the entire floor felt like it had been shaken off.
Linlin covered her ears tightly and Li Tingshen reached out to press Ye Qingqiu’s ear into his embrace.
“Why aren’t you taking her away?”
The two people beside Liang Xuer nodded and dragged the devastated Liang Xuer away.
Silence returned to the corridor. Ye Qingqiu pushed Li Tingshen away and looked up at Linlin.
“Linlin…”
Linlin hurriedly opened his arms to Ye Qingqiu.
“… Is Mommy alright?”
Ye Qingqiu shook her head with a complicated expression. Then, she remembered that Linlin couldn’t see her and said,
“… No.”
Linlin had done it on purpose.
The word ‘daddy’ had given Liang Xuer a heavy blow.
What… was he thinking?
Did he understand the grudges between adults?
He only knew how to kill someone without sacrificing a single soldier?
Her gaze landed on the man hugging her. She suddenly shivered and reached out to snatch Linlin away.
Li Tingshen felt a sense of loneliness.
Linlin sensed that the atmosphere was amiss and hugged Ye Qingqiu without saying a word.
Ye Qingqiu carried Linlin and stayed in Old Master Li’s ward for the entire morning. Li Tingshen said that he wanted to have lunch together, but Ye Qingqiu rejected him.
She didn’t let go of Linlin the entire time. She left in a hurry and her attitude was cold, not giving Li Tingshen any room to speak.
In the afternoon, she went to the orphanage to settle the discharge procedures. Then, she packed her things and went overseas tomorrow.
Xiao Chu returned in the afternoon with a solemn expression.
“CEO Li, Miss Ye’s passport has been unlocked, but… is there a need to remove the lockdown? What if…”
“Withdraw.”
Li Tingshen stood in front of Old Master Ye’s bed, his voice firm.
Xiao Chu gritted his teeth and left.
Looking at the old and sickly man on the bed, he said after a long while,
“Does she have my freedom?”
The old man didn’t move, and only the sound of the physical therapy machine could be heard.
Li Tingshen pursed his lips. After a while, the corners of his lips curled up into a lonely and helpless smile.
“What if she doesn’t want me?”
*
At night, Ye Qingqiu suddenly realized that she had nowhere to go.
It would have been fine if Shen Fanxing was alone, but Bo Jinchuan was back.
Since she had Linlin with her, she shouldn’t stay at his house anymore.
After dinner, there was no reason to stay any longer. Just as Linlin was about to leave, the doorbell rang.
The door opened and Li Tingshen stood at the door.
His gaze accurately captured her.
“Go up and rest.”
Ye Qingqiu frowned and stood at the door without moving.
Li Tingshen was not in a hurry.
The two of them stood opposite each other.
Bo Jinchuan, who had been unhappy with Ye Qingqiu’s ‘harassment’, suddenly stood up from the sofa. He walked to the door and pushed Ye Qingqiu in disdain.
Caught off guard, Ye Qingqiu fell forward and was hugged by Li Tingshen. His other hand was still protecting Linlin.
Fortunately, Li Tingshen held her and steadied her. Ye Qingqiu turned her head angrily and Bo Jinchuan clapped his hands coldly.
“Stay away from my door. You’re an eyesore.”
Ye Qingqiu was speechless.
Was he still a man?
Bo Jinchuan looked up and asked, “Why? Do you want to offend me?”
The woman blinked and suppressed the anger in her chest. She smiled and gritted her teeth.
“… Goodnight.”
There was a loud bang.
The door was closed mercilessly and Bo Jinchuan didn’t even respond.
“Mommy…”
Linlin spoke, feeling lost and helpless.
Only then did Ye Qingqiu realize that the child was in Li Tingshen’s arms.
She reached out to take it, but Li Tingshen avoided her calmly.
“I still have your passport.”
It was a hit.
*
Since they were going to set off tomorrow, Ye Qingqiu didn’t have the mood to argue with Li Tingshen.
After coaxing Linlin to sleep on the side, she went downstairs to ask Li Tingshen for his passport.
On the second floor, she could smell the faint scent of tobacco. At the staircase, the smell was even stronger.
She frowned and went downstairs. Li Tingshen was smoking on the balcony of the living room.
Perhaps hearing the commotion, he stubbed out the cigarette in his hand in the crystal ashtray. Then, he turned around and glanced at her. He walked over and stood opposite her. His voice was hoarse from the smoke.
“Is he asleep?”
Ye Qingqiu nodded indifferently.
Li Tingshen’s eyes landed on the magazine on the coffee table and he fell silent for a while. “I’ll… go with you tomorrow.”
Ye Qingqiu’s eyes flashed.
Li Tingshen continued, “With me by your side, you’ll have more time to take care of Linlin…”
Ye Qingqiu clenched her fists and a smile appeared on her face.
“If I don’t agree to this, will you sue me?”
Li Tingshen looked at her in shock.
After a long while, he slowly retracted his gaze and said in a hoarse and low voice, “… I won’t.”
Ye Qingqiu’s expression was indifferent and her voice was cold. “You said you wanted to give me your passport.”
Li Tingshen pursed his lips and fell silent. He bent down to pick up the passports from the magazines on the coffee table and handed them to Ye Qingqiu.
Ye Qingqiu’s pupils constricted and she snatched the passport away.
“Thank you.”
Li Tingshen watched her leave quietly and stood there for a long time before sitting on the sofa.
She had not changed her clothes and there was a strong smell of tobacco.
He sat alone for a long time before he stood up and went upstairs with a few bags.
*
The next morning, Ye Qingqiu woke up early and washed up with Linlin. Linlin’s clothes had already been placed by the bed.
She paused before putting it on Linlin.
“Mommy, the clothes are so soft and fragrant.”
Linlin sounded like she had just woken up.
Hearing this, Ye Qingqiu touched Linlin’s sleeve quietly.
Indeed.
It looked like new clothes, but there was no smell of new clothes. The smell was the familiar scent of detergent.
“Yes, Mommy can smell it.”
Carrying Linlin downstairs, Li Tingshen glanced at Linlin and his lips twitched imperceptibly. “Come and have breakfast.”
Linlin’s dark eyes followed the voice and his brows moved imperceptibly.
Ye Qingqiu was expressionless and didn’t reject him.
Shen Fanxing wanted to tag along, but Bo Jinchuan didn’t agree.
From home to the airport and abroad.
Everything was arranged by Li Tingshen and Xiao Chu. Ye Qingqiu didn’t have to worry about anything and focused all her attention on taking care of Linlin. She didn’t reject Li Tingshen’s arrangements.
When she reached NY, she went straight to the hospital to give Linlin a detailed checkup.
Because it was a specialized physical examination, the results were out very quickly.
In the afternoon, the experts continued their detailed discussion. Seeing Ye Qingqiu’s uneasy expression, Li Tingshen brought her out of the hospital.
Ye Qingqiu had not let go of Linlin for the entire day. Because of her nervousness, Ye Qingqiu looked even more tired.
“Give me the child.”
Ye Qingqiu turned her body. She didn’t speak, but her body rejected him.
“You’re very tired, Qingqiu.”
He spoke calmly as he looked at Ye Qingqiu’s beautiful face. There was an unconcealable fatigue on her face.
Linlin blinked and hugged Ye Qingqiu’s neck. He leaned over and kissed her nose.
“Mommy is tired, don’t hug Linlin…”
Ye Qingqiu bit her lips tightly as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Give it to me.” Li Tingshen reached out his hand. “You’re exhausted today. Are you planning to miss the surgery tomorrow?”
Sensing that Li Tingshen was about to hug him, Linlin opened his arms and reached out to him.
Ye Qingqiu’s eyes flashed and she let go.
“Let’s go and eat first. Linlin is probably very hungry.”
Linlin’s eyes were listless, but he nodded vigorously. “Yes! Mommy, Linlin is hungry.”
When Ye Qingqiu heard this, she hurriedly said, “Okay, let’s go eat.”
When they arrived at the restaurant, Linlin had ordered a lot. She wanted to eat this and that.
Looking at the table full of dishes, even Ye Qingqiu couldn’t help but speak up.
“Enough, Linlin, you can’t eat so much.”
“I want to try what it tastes like…”
Ye Qingqiu felt helpless.
“Don’t do this again. Linlin, let’s not be so greedy.”
Linlin grabbed the edge of the dining table and nodded lightly. “Got it.”
Ye Qingqiu’s heart ached when she saw it, but it was impossible to finish all the food on the table.
But there wasn’t much left.
She ate a few mouthfuls of everything before pushing them to Ye Qingqiu.
Li Tingshen sat at the side. Seeing that Ye Qingqiu had actually eaten a lot, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
It seemed like Ye Qingqiu was coaxing Linlin to eat, but who was coaxing who in the end?
This little fellow… was quite smart.
Ye Qingqiu had indeed eaten a lot. Linlin wanted to coax Ye Qingqiu to eat the cake, but she was “robbed” by Li Tingshen halfway.
Linlin frowned.
“I’m hungry too.”
With that, she placed the cake in her mouth.
Ye Qingqiu heaved a sigh of relief.
If she continued eating, she really wanted to clear her stomach.
*
When she returned to the hospital, Xiao Chu had already arranged a ward.
She had been busy today. After dinner, when Ye Qingqiu coaxed Linlin to sleep, she couldn’t help but fall asleep.
Li Tingshen went forward to cover them with the blanket gently. He stood at the side and watched the mother and son snuggle together. His heart seemed to be overflowing.
He reached out and gently brushed Ye Qingqiu’s hair aside. Her fair skin was within reach, but he couldn’t touch her at all.
Only at this time could they stay together quietly.
*
Opening the door, Xiao Chu immediately greeted him.
“CEO Li, the doctor is looking for you.”
Li Tingshen lowered his eyes indifferently and replied calmly.
There was a risk of surgery.
If she failed, she could only bear the consequences.
Li Tingshen specially instructed Xiao Chu to stop this matter and discuss it with him alone.
When the doctor explained the possible risks to him in detail and handed him the disclaimer, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his palm.
The failure of the surgery did not rule out the possibility of permanent blindness.
Although she had thought of this, seeing it with her own eyes had a huge impact.
“Do you know who arranged this surgery?”
The doctors sat upright with solemn expressions. “It’s Mr. Bo.”
Li Tingshen pursed his lips and signed the disclaimer.
She stood up and said coldly, “Just bear the consequences.”
His words caused the expressions of the world’s top ophthalmologists to change.
It hadn’t been easy to climb this far.
*
Ye Qingqiu was jolted awake.
She had a dream where her entire body was undergoing surgery.
Her eyes were bloody and she cried out in pain. She kept comforting him, but she couldn’t touch him through the door.
Then, the surgery ended without success. When she was pushed out, her eyes were bleeding and she couldn’t even see the whites of her eyes. Then, he suddenly turned his head and screamed as he pounced on her…
She slept early last night and woke up at six in the morning.
Her gaze landed on Linlin, who was sleeping quietly in her arms. She heaved a sigh of relief and leaned over to kiss his forehead.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Li Tingshen’s deep voice sounded. Ye Qingqiu sat up gently, her pale face covered in cold sweat. She nodded. The scene in her dream was too terrifying.
“I dreamed of Linlin… The surgery failed…”
She raised her hand to her forehead, the fear in her heart deepening. She wanted to hear a very certain sentence.
“Don’t worry, the surgery won’t be difficult. There won’t be any problems.”
Li Tingshen’s words sounded above her head, merging with the urgency in her heart.
She looked up at him helplessly. “Really?”
Li Tingshen nodded. “Yes.”
